Honor Play vs Huawei nova 3
The Honor Play (2018) runs on the Hisilicon Kirin 970, while the Huawei nova 3 (2018) runs on the Hisilicon Kirin 970. By overall MobileRank rating, the Huawei nova 3 leads — 32/100 vs 31/100 (a 1-point difference). Key differences: the Huawei nova 3 has NFC for contactless payments, the Honor Play doesn't.
Profile comparison
Category scores
Honor Play
Huawei nova 3
What makes Honor Play better?
- Overall rating 31/100
What makes Huawei nova 3 better?
- Lighter: 166g vs 176g
- Better camera (17/100 vs 14/100)
- Better portability (87/100 vs 79/100)
Comparison verdict
Comparing the Honor Play vs the Huawei nova 3, the Huawei nova 3 scores 1 points higher (32/100 vs 31/100). In the "performance" category, both devices are on the same level — 34/100. In the "display" category, both devices are on the same level — 58/100. In the "camera" category, the Huawei nova 3 and the Honor Play are nearly equal (17/100 vs 14/100). In the "battery" category, both devices are on the same level — 16/100. In the "portability" category, the Huawei nova 3 is a bit better (87/100 vs 79/100).
Specs comparison
| Specification | Honor Play | Huawei nova 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Hisilicon Kirin 970 | Hisilicon Kirin 970 | |
| AnTuTu | 470805 | 470805 | |
| Geekbench Single | 420 | 420 | |
| Geekbench Multi | 1617 | 1617 | |
| Display | 6.3" IPS LCD | 6.3" IPS LCD | |
| Resolution | 1080x2340 | 1080x2340 | |
| Refresh rate | — | — | |
| Battery | 3750 mAh | 3750 mAh | |
| Charging | 18W | 18W | |
| Main camera | 16 MP | 16 MP | |
| Front camera | 16 MP | 24 MP | |
| RAM | 6GB | 4GB / 6GB | |
| Storage | 64GB | 128GB / 8TB | |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo); EMUI 8.2 | Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie); EMUI 9 | |
| NFC | no | yes | |
| Dimensions | 157.9×74.3×7.5 mm | 157.0×73.7×7.3 mm | |
| Weight | 176 g | 166 g | |
| Launch price | — | — |
Camera comparison
Honor Play
- Main: 16MP f/2.2
- Front: 16MP
Huawei nova 3
- Main: 16MP f/1.8
- Front: 24MP
Display comparison
Honor Play
- 6.3" IPS LCD
- Resolution: 1080x2340
- Refresh rate: —
Huawei nova 3
- 6.3" IPS LCD
- Resolution: 1080x2340
- Refresh rate: —
Battery and charging
Honor Play
- 3750 mAh
- Wired: 18W
- No wireless charging
Huawei nova 3
- 3750 mAh
- Wired: 18W
- No wireless charging
Overall performance score
We compared Honor Play and Huawei nova 3, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.
Equal performance based on benchmark results.
Benchmarks
Detailed category analysis
performance
In the "performance" category, both devices are on the same level — 34/100.
display
In the "display" category, both devices are on the same level — 58/100.
camera
In the "camera" category, the Huawei nova 3 and the Honor Play are nearly equal (17/100 vs 14/100).
battery
In the "battery" category, both devices are on the same level — 16/100.
portability
In the "portability" category, the Huawei nova 3 is a bit better (87/100 vs 79/100).
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: the Honor Play or the Huawei nova 3?
The Huawei nova 3 edges out the Honor Play by just 1 points — the two devices are very close in overall level.
What is the rating of the Honor Play and the Huawei nova 3?
The Honor Play has a MobileRank rating of 31/100, the Huawei nova 3 — 32/100.
Should you choose the Honor Play over the Huawei nova 3?
Neither model stands out enough to recommend it for a specific use case: the clearest difference is portability — better on the Huawei nova 3 (87/100 vs 79/100).